What I'll Miss

What's that?  You're surprised that I'm actually going to miss something?  What with all the complaining I've done over the past (almost) four years?  Well, it's true....it's hard for me to think about now as I'm deep into anticipating American food preparing to go back to the US but I can come up with a few things....(sorry no pics, hope you can make it through!)

1. I know I'm going to be asked a lot over the coming year(s) what I miss most about Japan....my answer is probably going to be the people.  Being here has certainly made me see that people are basically the same the world over.  But I do think that Japanese people IN GENERAL are a little more quiet and thoughtful and less reactionary and proselytistic than Americans IN GENERAL.  The vast majority of the people I've interacted with have been lovely.  I have not had a single truly negative experience.  I've had a few shop clerks avoid my eyes (in hopes I didn't need help) and I usually get ignored by the people who hand out flyers by kiosks in the mall (I consider that a perk) but that is really the worst I can come up with.  I've been giggled at by a few teenage waiters.  I've been stared at creepily by a few old guys. (For the record, these last two would totally happen in the US too.)   But so many times I have asked for help or initiated a conversation (in my shamefully terrible Japanese) and have had the person try their hardest to figure out what I needed.  Other moms are so very welcoming in the playground and parks we go to. Everyone loves Cora....people around here are  used to adult foreigners but a foreign baby/toddler is still a pretty big draw.  I think when we move back home she's probably going to be offended that she isn't getting fawned over and "kawaii'ed" constantly.  So that makes me a little sad.....I may do a separate post about being an "outsider" in a homogeneous culture but even that hasn't been negative at all for me personally.  
2. I have pumped gas--no kidding--one (1) time in (almost) four years.  It was on a trip home to the US.  I have a lovely full-service place I go to maybe once every couple of months....because I rarely drive more than a few miles from my house.  At the full service place the nice workers will wipe my windshield/mirrors/windows down and give me a damp cloth to wipe my interior.  My dash and steering wheel have stayed astonishingly clean.  Back in America I DREADED pumping gas and my dash was filthy.  And there may be a full service place somewhere in Greenville, but I sure don't know where it is.  Or how much it will cost. And to all you reading from the states that don't allow you to pump your own gas ---- pphhht!!
3. Believe it or not, there are a few food items I'll miss.  Milk tea is probably #1.  I like a little gyudon (beef and rice dish) from Sukiya.  Tonkatsu (breaded sauced pork) from our local bento place is tasty.  You can get really good pre-made frozen dumplings to fry up.  I am going to miss making a lunch off of soft boiled eggs and tuna-mayo onigiri (rice balls) from 7-Eleven.  I realize that last one probably sounds gross but you'll just have to believe me that it's delicious.  However, any time I get a craving I feel sure that I can help it pass by getting a hotdog or a burrito.  Also, I'm looking forward to visiting the tiny Japanese grocery in Greenville.  Fingers crossed they carry milk tea!!
4. Speaking of food, what I"m really, really, really going to miss are Japanese vending machines.  I've blogged about them before but they need to be on this list.  Not only do they have cold and hot selections (cocoa, hot milk tea!) but there is always a wonderful, ever-changing selection of juice, tea and flavored water.  I don't drink a lot of soft drinks.  I never drink diet drinks and rarely drink caffeine (weird, I know).  I am not looking forward to returning to the land of Diet Coke and Mountain Dew. :(
5. I can't leave out Japanese-style service.  My particular favorite is how the grocery store cart and bagging process works.  When we first got here it bugged me but I've come to love it.  For starters, you don't leave items loose, you have to put them into shopping baskets inside your cart.  And then the cashier will move them into an empty basket as he/she scans them.   Whenever I've grocery shopped on trips home I always feel so rebellious and slovenly just chucking stuff down in the cart.  If you really want to be Japanese about it you'll carefully arrange all your food Tetris-style.  But you won't be as good at it as the checkout person, so don't even try. (I have absolutely stopped on my way to the checkout just to rearrange my items in a neater manner.)  Reusable bags are much more popular here and are easier to use, in a way, because you bag your own groceries.  And you should also do that in a careful and Tetris-style manner.  I really want to keep using my reusable bags.  In general, I expect to be kind of a weirdo in the US grocery store for a while.  If you see me out, watch carefully and enjoy whatever obsessive-compulsive-grocery-arranging-bag meltdown I'm having.   And also listen for me to say "excuse me" to everyone in Japanese. :)
6. I am going to miss my house!  Wait, what?  OK, so I'm not going to miss my Japanese house except for one small part---the entryway.  Because of the whole take-your-shoes-off thing, Japanese houses almost always have really nice big entryways that function as what we would call a mudroom in the US.  As I've started looking online at houses (as we will need to purchase one pretty quickly) I am really disappointed in the lack of a mudroom in most.  It's really nice to have a place for shoes, coats, hats, stroller etc.  Plus bags, keys, mail, a mirror....the US really needs to step it up in the entryway department.  However, if I don't end up with one and I get frustrated I'll just go lovingly stroke my thermostat or run something through my garbage disposal and hopefully the feeling will pass. 
7. Japanese clothes.....O, how I shall miss ye.  I have been running around the past few weeks frantically buying up pants and jackets.  Clothing here is more well-made and better quality than in the US. You're much more likely to find linings, pockets, etc.  And I'm talking about just your typical department store clothes.  Nothing designer or super expensive.  And it's all cut for short, narrow-ish people.  I bought a blazer the other day that fit perfectly off the rack.  I swear I heard a chorus of angels sing when I put it on.  Usually I have to have almost everything, but particularly "work clothing", tailored down so I don't look like I'm playing dress-up in my mother's clothes.   A special shout-out to Uniglo and Muji, both of which I am going to miss dreadfully.  I think both have stores in the US but none close to Greenville.  And I have a feeling the clothing is probably cut differently.  If anyone has ever been to an American one, please let me know!

That's all for now, maybe once we get back I'll update this post with more things I miss!

Wicket Games

Lately our schedule involves a lot of going to parks before lunch.  In doing so we often run into seniors playing what I always thought was croquet.   However, research prior to writing this indicates that it may be a Japanese variation of croquet called gateball.

Here's what I can tell you for sure:  the old folks around these parts love it, whatever you call it.  They're in every park with their mallets and wickets, whacking away.  Way back when we first got here I saw some people playing it in the local community center and thought it was mildly interesting that croquet was played here.  But now that I spend all my time in parks I'm a little taken aback by the local fervor for the game. You hear a lot about how Japan has an aging population---I'm inclined to agree based solely on how much time I spend chasing Cora away from croquet balls.

We walk to our neighborhood park at least two mornings every week and hang out with the neighborhood croquet players.  There are usually about 20 or so there on a few teams. It seems to be a fairly informal, easy-going game---I don't know much about the rules but I'm pretty sure that putting one guy past the wicket whose job is to stop the ball from going too far off course is technically cheating.  They're very nice about Cora occasionally trying to steal their equipment.

a team around a wicket 

an overview of several teams (from the playground area)  

On another topic entirely, go back to the first picture and notice what the people are wearing.  It was at least 85 degrees (Fahrenheit) that particular day.  Notice the long sleeves?  Totally typical Japanese summertime attire.

I get some odd looks sometimes in the parks because I'm usually there in running shorts, T-shirt and baseball cap.  All the other moms and the seniors are completely covered up.  It's not an issue of modesty, it's completely an issue of sun protection and the desire for pale skin.  On the same day that I took the croquet photos above an elderly lady literally stopped me on the street and started stroking my bare arms and jabbering at me.  I couldn't really catch much of it but I gathered she was telling me I needed to protect my skin.  She was in a typical Japanese elderly lady outdoor costume that reminds me of a beekeeper outfit.  In fact, I confess to occasionally referring to these ladies as "beekeepers" in private conversation.

yes, they are even wearing gloves (this was another 85+ degree day)

Even the other kids are usually more covered up than Cora in her shorts and T-shirt.  Of course, we are covered in sunscreen which we have to bring back from the US.  Not because they don't have it here, but because it only comes in tiny bottles (think sample size).  They just prefer sun protection in the form of clothes.

One good thing about all this is you can find an awesome array of sheer, gauzy layering clothes in the stores in the summer.  Particularly cardigans.  Great for if you need something to go over a sundress.  I'm really going to miss the cardigan selection here when we go home.  I feel like the hat selection is better here too.

So, the takeaway is, if you are coming to Japan in the summer, prepare to feel a little under dressed and try to pick up some cardigans. :D


(And please excuse the post title, I couldn't help myself.:D)

Lean In, Licca-chan

I spend my fair share of time in Babies/Toys R' Us these days.  It was there that I ran across Licca-chan, aka Japanese Barbie. (Because of the way "L" is pronounced here her name can sometimes sound like "Rika".  I tell you this only because it can cause confusion---it did for me.)  Actual American Barbie is available here too, although I don't think she is as popular as Licca-chan.

Licca-chan was introduced in 1967 and at first glance she's a lot like Barbie.  She has a back story, family, a personality, careers etc.  One thing I thought was funny is that Licca-chan is described as a "fan" of the Anne of Green Gables books.  I read those books for the first time just before we moved here---imagine my surprise when I learned that they are super popular in Japan.  Japanese kids read them in school.  You can visit Green Gables Farm on Prince Edward Island (the Canadian setting for the novels) and I gather that it's a popular tourist destination for Japanese people and some even get married there.  Go figure.

Anyway, so now on to my personal experience with Licca-chan. After I decided to do a blog about her I went and really examined the merchandise available and took photos.  I was a little appalled by what I found.  The only career options available to Licca-chan in my local toy store are food service, pet shop employee, childcare and beautician.  And one lone nurse Licca-chan stuck in a corner.  Don't get me wrong (or flame me), these are all very noble and important professions.  But come on....

nurse and pet shop

Pizza-La employee and cafe worker.  or parent with two suspiciously
red-haired children straight out of The Shining

beautician Licca

donut store employee is surprisingly popular?

Japanese restaurant worker (lots of tiny sushi)

teenage babysitter, judging by the looks of her

and to top it off, she apparently has a French boyfriend
(on second glance, he is labeled "papa" and the doll next to him is "mama"
--I think they are Licca-chan's very young parents?)

I wanted to get a Licca-chan for Cora, in the spirit of having some neat souvenirs of her early childhood in Japan.  But now I'm not so sure.  I did some additional research on Licca-chan, just to make sure that it wasn't a case of the store only carrying certain models.  As far as I can tell this is the height of Licca-chan's career aspirations.

I also did some research on what Barbie is up to these days, just to make sure that this wasn't an overall doll trend.  I am pleased to report that I was easily able to locate astronaut Barbie on the American Toys R' Us website as well as some other choices that were at least more interesting like singer/songwriter and ice skater.  The full list of Barbie's careers astonished even me.  Computer Engineer Barbie is pretty awesome.

Some of you may be thinking well, duh....feminism isn't as prevalent in Japan so why is this surprising?  I suppose I was just taken aback to see it displayed so blatantly in the doll section of the toy store.  But it is what it is, right?  I guess I'll just let Cora pick what Licca-chan she wants and then get her a US President Barbie when we get home.  Maybe Barbie will be a good influence on Licca-chan.  ;D

Poppin' Tags

So here's a post about what a thrift shop is like in Japan.  Before you get all excited let me tell ya that it's pretty much like one in America. The only one I know about in these parts is a chain called Off House.

Off House is part of a conglomerate that includes Hard Off which sells used electronics/hardware (and yeah, sorry, the name totally cracks me up), Book Off which sells used books, and the aforementioned Off House that sells housewares, clothes, toys etc.  There are a few other variations that I've never seen in person, but you can see them listed on the official website.

a local Off House

I recently went with an American friend and attempted to actually sell some things there.  I wasn't too successful in that I only made ¥400 (about $4) profit.  But the fact that we were able to manage the transaction was a success, albeit a touch-and-go one because of language difficulties.  We had to show ID and fill out a short contact form and sign that we weren't going to show up and want the stuff back.  The ladies working there pulled some poor dude out of the back and made him talk to me.   When this happens you can assume that the poor schmuck at some point let on to his co-workers that his English was better than average.  Or they grabbed him just because he was younger and had been in English classes more recently than they had.  I always feel really sorry for someone when this happens.  Anyway, they didn't want most of my clothing because it was off-season but I did sell a baby toy.  Granted, I ended up buying a baby toy while I was there but that's beside the point.

Other than the toy, I once got a maternity dress there and I've bought some cute Japanese-style appetizer dishes.  That's the kinds of things Off House is good for.

and guitars

clothing

the rather large collection of action figures is pretty "Japanese" I'd say

electronics

Roll It Up, Pat It Out...

I see a lot of "different" things here in Japan.  But after two and a half (!) years here I don't notice many of them anymore.  But there is one thing that still - after all this time - puzzles, fascinates and occasionally repulses me.

Japanese bakeries.

First, let me make clear that I am talking about bakeries and not sweet shops*.  I know in my mind they can sort of blend together sometimes but here they are very distinct.  Bakeries here are much more focused on non-sweet items than those in America.  In the average Japanese bakery (this does not include Starbucks or it's imitators) you will be hard-pressed to find cinnamon rolls, danishes, cookies, muffins or any of those other wonderful items you would expect to see. (Although, you may occasionally run across them and most bakeries will have a few dessert items available.)

Here are some of the things you can expect to see.  I've broken them down into categories that I feel best expresses the general composition of a Japanese bakery.

• Fake Hotdog Travesties

that is a really long, bad-tasting fake hotdog
in an equally disgusting "bun-like contrivance".
seriously, the bread is hard and the hotdog
is more like a sausage.

• Things With Corn

on the left is bread with a pile of creamed corn.
on the right is another hotdog monstrosity helpfully labeled "pastry frank".

• Bread With Vegetables (and Mayo)

on the left - broccoli, mushrooms and probably mayo
on the right - tomato and definitely mayo

• Things With an Egg

Japanese people will put a poached egg on anything.

• Green Bread

it's filled with a mashed soybean paste.  Yum!

Two more things of note:  One, it is virtually impossible to find empty hoagie/sub rolls in this country.  They are always filled with something.  Egg, cream, bean pastes, chocolate, peanut butter, cheese, you name it and I've probably seen it sold in a sub roll.  But if you want to buy a plain roll to take home and fill with steak or roast beef or meatballs as God intended then you're out of luck.  Two, if you see bread filled with what looks like chocolate, IT MAY NOT BE CHOCOLATE.  It may be red bean paste masquerading as chocolate.    Trust me, you do not want to bite into that thinking it's chocolate.  If you learn nothing else from this blog, learn that.


*Japanese sweet shops, on the other hand, are usually marvelous and full of wonderful shortcakes, creme brulees, tiramisus, fruit tarts, chocolate cakes, pies etc.  If not exactly what you would find in an American sweet shop (to me they have a bit of what I imagine is a French influence) they are close enough.

Harajuku & Yoyogi Park

I just realized that it's been almost a month since my last post!  Sorry about that.  Time got away from me.  Anyway, this past weekend we went to Tokyo for a couple of nights.  The main purpose of the trip was to experiment with ways to get Cora to sleep in a hotel room.  (We were pretty successful-- throwing a sheet over her crib like she was a canary helped a lot.)

We had a couple of ideas of what to do while we were there but they all fell through until we ended up walking from our hotel in Shinjuku to the area known as Harajuku.  (Incidentally we walked because the train we were going to take was delayed by 20 minutes---virtually unheard of in Tokyo!)

The Harajuku area is pretty famous....if any of you are Gwen Stefani fans you might remember it as a big inspiration in one of her solo albums.  A lot of kids hang out in Harajuku and wear crazy clothes and costumes.  (According to Wikipedia "goth" and "California girl" are two styles that are popular.)  There are also a lot of shops that cater to the kids and their street fashion.

Sunday is the day that the kids are out and about so since we were there on Saturday afternoon we didn't see too many wacky getups.  But we did walk down Takeshita Street and check out some of the shops.

takeshita street



some getups, huh?

a little busy for me

more Harajuku shopping

Overall, Harajuku wasn't quite what I was expecting.  It was pretty touristy--there was even a stand with brochures at the entrance to Takeshita Street.  I was expecting a little more edgy and avant-garde and instead it reminded me a little of one of those streets in a beach town where you can get your hair wrapped or get henna-tattooed.  It was also unusually ethnically diverse for Japan and possibly a little skeevy.  Although it occurs to me that perhaps I am just old. :/

On the way to Harajuku we walked through Yoyogi Park, which I thought was a neat spot to find in the middle of the city.  There is a famous shrine (Meiji Jingu) in the middle of the park but we just skirted the edge.

a torii at the entrance to Yoyogi Park

you wouldn't think you were in the middle of Tokyo

I was also surprised to realize just how close all this was to one of my favorite shopping spots, Omotesando, which I blogged about here.  I knew it wasn't far, but it turned out to be very walkable.  The proximity of Yoyogi Park, Omotesando and Harajuku definitely make this one of my favorite areas of the city.   I hope to come back on a Sunday and see the Harajuku kids so maybe you'll get to see some more one day!

Kicks

So I've been pretty down on Japan lately (it's winter, I miss America, etc.) but I went out shopping the other day and realized I have to give credit for one thing.

This country has amazing shoes.

I really put some effort into identifying exactly what it is about Japanese shoes that are different from American shoes.  I came up with the following:

1. More and better detailing.
2. More colorful.
3. Better variety specifically within one style instead of just a few color variations you will see at least a half dozen different variations in color, detailing, texture, fabric etc.
4. The selection is consistently good, not just at certain times of the year.

The first time I was ever awed by a Japanese shoe display it was this one.....

this photo is over a year old

On my most recent shopping trip I took these photos:

And you'll notice these are just casual shoes.  That's what I look at because it's what I'm most likely to buy.  I appreciate heels (and goodness knows the Japanese girls do) but tend to not just wear them around for funsies.  The dress shoe selection is equally, if not more, impressive.

So when we leave (what, you thought I was going to stay forever for the shoes? don't think so....even I don't love them that much.) I will probably be buying up a lot of these pretties and bringing them home with me.  Because while I've bought shoes here they've mostly been kinda plain and functional---I haven't gotten any of these fancy ones yet.  I honestly don't know how you would pick.  I could spend weeks planning outfits for these shoes.  And these days my outfit planning time is lean and would be largely a waste.

But when we come back to the US and you see me.....be sure and check out my feet. :D

Basement Bites

Last week I took a walk to a very large department store that's maybe four blocks from our apartment.  If you're wondering why I'm always referencing exactly how many blocks away places are, it's because I spend a lot of my time studying area maps and calculating exactly how far I can get from this apartment without collapsing and/or giving birth on the street.  Any trip I make also has to be worth enduring everyone else on the street giving me the side-eye like I'm a bomb.

Anyways, the store I went to is Matuzakaya.  I knew that once I got there I would only be able to do so much (it's HUGE) so I decided to investigate the basement.  I have read a lot about the basements in these huge department stores and how they are a good place to shop for food.  Yep, food.  Most department store basements here in Tokyo are full of an amazing variety of food vendors.  In fact, if you are on the hunt for exotic and imported foodstuffs you'll often be told to check out the basements of different department stores.

Sure enough, the basement was packed full of  box lunches, gift baskets, pastries, ice cream, weird seafood and more.  There was a small section that was supermarket-like and had some harder-to-find spices and baking supplies but it wasn't anything I haven't seen elsewhere.   I would've considered lunch there but I couldn't find anywhere to sit---seemed like it was all takeout.  I'm not sure if that's always the case in these basements.   So I didn't get anything but I did take some very poor iPhone photos.

these are pastries made to look like
pandas, turtles, etc.  very kawaii (cute), very japanese.

a vendor displaying jellies.  jellies are big here.
there are literally too many variations for me
to even begin to describe.  just....jellies.

the entire floor is food vendors

the most perfect apple pies I've ever seen

a sushi/veggie box?  heaven only knows what half that
mess is.  I do know it would most likely give me heartburn.

exactly how many different varieties of pickled
plums are there?  this many.

onigiri (stuffed rice balls), which aren't bad,
but you have to be careful about
what they're stuffed with

This is just a small selection of what they had, I will say that it was mostly Japanese food.  So I'm not sure if, based on this experience, I personally would recommend a department store basement to a foreigner looking for foods from home.  There are enough "international" supermarkets (check this one out, but be warned it's pricey) that I don't think this would be my first suggestion.  But if you just want to marvel at some Japanese food, it's a pretty good place to do it.

Nightlife

We've spent some time lately hanging out in Roppongi Hills, which I first blogged about here when we made a brief daytime trip.  It's in a pretty lively (and expensive) part of town with a lot of nightlife.  The Hills is basically a giant indoor/outdoor mall with shops, restaurants and even a museum or two.  The architecture of the place is impressive.  We've been going here because of the Outback Steakhouse (we never went to Outback back home, but we love it here because it tastes like America) and a movie theater where Chad has seen a couple of movies.

Last night while he was at the movies, I perused the English section of a bookstore and spent time curled up in Starbucks.  I also took some night photos of the area.



the skyline from Roppongi Hills, with a rainbowed Tokyo Tower

the Mori Tower (the blue lights continually
run up and down the side)

down Roppongi Street towards Shibuya

looking up into the various towers from within the complex

I think this is part of the Keyakizaka Complex
(this trip we ate Caribbean food way down there on
the bottom level you can barely see)

One of the coolest aspects of coming here is that if you drive (which Chad is comfortable doing now) you can leave your car in an "automated garage".  Basically you pull your car into the garage like normal, but there are just a few parking spots.  You pull your car into one, get out and then your car goes onto a conveyor belt into an elevator and is stored way back in the bowels of the garage until you come back and check it out.  We are big dorks fascinated by this.  We even took video but this is my first attempt at video editing so it's kinda rough.  And you may not be able to play it from an iPad or phone.  I'm sure there's a reason why but I don't know anything about computers anymore. ;)

City Slicker

This weekend we moved to our apartment in the city. As I mentioned awhile back, we'll be here for two months so I'm close to the hospital and my doctor. Chad is driving back and forth from Gunma which, so far, is going pretty well.

We didn't get a ton of information about our apartment (it was arranged for us by the company) until just before we came because, well, that's just how they roll.  But I'm pleased to report that they came through for us again....the apartment is in a great location (just south of Ueno Park which I first mentioned here) and is very nice. 

apartment building

apartment

our view

As you can see it's small (one bedroom) but suits us just fine.  The bathroom and bathtub are surprisingly large and Western-style, most of my appliances are in English, it's easy to cool and it comes with two nice Japanese ladies to clean it twice a week.  So far the only con is that it's on a hill.  And as great as the location is, I'm not going to be able to take as much advantage of it as I would under normal circumstances.  Normally I would be down in Ueno Park every day but since I currently have the mobility of a large arthritic duck, I'm not sure I can make it that far (probably less than two miles but the park is huge).

street right in front of apartment

down a very steep hill

nearby elementary school (surrounded by trees)

another neighborhood street

down the other side of the hill to the local grocery

The only other thing of note is that it's been a little hard to figure out where to get food, considering we limit ourselves by eating very little Asian food.  So far we've mastered pizza and burger delivery and we have our eye on a couple of local restaurants where hopefully we won't wind up with a plate full of sea urchin.  And then there's groceries.  Tiny little local city supermarkets/bakeries/butchers are a little hard for a country girl to wrap her mind around.   Although again, I wouldn't be nearly as concerned about figuring it out if I were able to explore more.  On Monday I had a disastrous experience trying to find what I thought was a large international supermarket on the other side of the city.  Long story short, it was tiny and didn't deliver.  But with Chad's help I finally located a small but adequate supermarket about two blocks from us and I'm currently waiting to see if a delivery boy actually brings the groceries I bought this morning to my door this afternoon.  Fingers crossed.  And then I get to try to make dinner in my tiny little city-folk-don't-cook kitchen.

the grocery store....it ain't Wal-mart

And one last thing....we didn't bring our full computer setup with us so blogging is a little more difficult.  So if things get a little rough around the edges for the next coupla months, that's why. ;)